Water wheel



M. L. MARTIN WATER WHEEL Y Dec. 8, 1925. 1,564,604

F'led Jun@ l2, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ]Z'y] fix l l Z Z9 i Z4 i? 6 y i W l Dec. 8, 1925- f 1,564,604

M. L. MARTIN WATER WHEEL Filed June 12, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Schnau. v

Util@ MILES L. MARTIN', 0F BAINBRDGE, G'EGRG-A, A SSEGNOE, OF ONE-THIRD TO CEAS. S. HODGES AND ONE-TREE@ T THOMAS W. JESTER, BOTH 0F BAINBRIDG-E, GEORGIA.

WATER XVI-IEEE..

Application filed June 12, 1925. Serial No. 36,692.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, MrLns L. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bainbridge, in the county of Decatur and State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful lVater lfilheel, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention has reference to fluid motors, and more particularly to the construction of the power wheel forming an important part thereof.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a water wheel including pivoted blades, which will swing under the action of the fluid and cause the blades to feather as they are passing into the current of fluid upon rotation of the wheel, thereby reducing the resistance to the minimum.

An important object of the invention is to provide a wheel of this character which may be elevated by the fluid contacting with the wheel, so that repairs on the wheel and its guides may be made with facility.

`With the foregoing and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a water motor constructed in aecordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmental detail view illustrating the construction of the blade bearings.

Figure is a plan view of the device.

Figure 4L is a sectional view taken on line 4 4 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the device includes a frame comprising vertical side bars 5 and an upper bar 6 connecting the side bars 5.

Guideways 7 are formed along the inner surfaces of the bars 5, which guideways accommodate the ribs 8 provided on the wheel housing 9, so that the wheel housing may be moved longitudinally of the bars 5.

The wheel housing 9 includes an upper bar 10 and a lower bar 11 which are connected with the side bars 12. A plate indicated at 13 is positioned on the bar 11 and is formed with an opening registering with the opening let to accommodate the reduced portion 15 of the shaft 16, whereby the shaft 16 may rotate.

Suitable ball bearings indicated at 17 support the weight of the water wheel to be hereinafter more fully described, thereby reducing the friction to the minimum to insure a free running wheel.

The wheel is secured to the shaft 16 and embodies spaced disk-like members 18 and 19 respectively, which disk-like members have angle bars 20 arranged on the inner surfaces thereof, which angle bars provide stops against which the blades 20 move so that rotary movement may be imparted to the water wheel.

These blades 2O are provided with plates 21 at their outer ends, which plates have integral bearing members 22 that operate in suitable openings formed in the angle bars so that the blades 2O may swing outwardly when the wheel is moving against the current, but will be swung inwardly and into engagement with the angle bars at points where the current strikes the blades to rotate the wheel proper. Thus it will be seen that as the wheel is rotated in the direction as indicated by the arrows in Figure l of the drawings, the Huid passing into the wheel will contact with the blades at the left of the wheel imparting rotary movement to the wheel, while the blades at the right of the wheel will swing outwardly to feather, thereby reducing the resistance of the wheel moving` through the water to the minimum.

As illustrated by Figure 1 of the drawings, the shaft 16 is threaded throughout a portion of its length as at 23, the upper portion thereof operating through an opening in the bar 6 and bearing 24 mounted on the bar 6. Mounted on the member 24 is a sectional nut 25, the sections thereof being pivotally connected at 26 while the free ends have connection with the arms 27 and 28 that are connected with the lever 29, so that upon movement of the lever 29, the sections of the nut may be moved into engagement with the threads 23 of the shaft 16, to the end that rotary movement of the shaft will cause the shaft 23 to be fed upwardly through the frame of the water motor, elevating' the wheel and its frame to the end that repairs may be made with facility.

It will also be noted that due to this construction, the water wheel may be moved to its inactive position or to a position above the surface of the water in which the wheel normally operates.

Formed longitudinally of the shaft 16 is a groove 3() that accommodates a key formed on the gear 3l so that rotary movement of the shaft 23 will be imparted to the gear 3l, but the shaft 23 will be permitted to move through the gear 3l as the same is being elevated as before described.

From the foregoing` detail description, it is believed` that a further detail description as to the operation of the device is yunnecessary.

I claim l. A water motor including a frame having side bars formed with guideways, a wheel housing having ribs adapted to move through the guideways, a shaft having a the shaft and water wheel to move upwardly when the Wheel is rotated.

2. A water motor including a frame, a wheel housing mounted within the frame and adapted to move longitudinally thereof, a threaded shaft extending through the frame and having` its lower end mounted for rotation within the wheel housing', a water wheel secured to the lower end of the shaft and adapted to rotate with the shaft, and adjustable means carried at the upper end of the frame and adapted to be moved into engagement with the threads of the shaft to feed the shaft upwardly and elevate the water wheel.

ln testimony that l claim the foregoing,y as my own, l have hereto aiiixed my signature.

MLES L. lt/IARTIN. 

